We'll Be a Dream
by don't-tell-me-not-to-live
Summary: Don't think of it as payback- think of it as payment in kind. *The sequel to 'Dream a Little Dream of Me*
1. Practice Run

**It's here! The first chapter of the sequel to 'Dream a Little Dream of Me'! =}**

**Hope you guys like it!**

**Story banner link on my profile- go check it out.**

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****We'll Be a Dream **

**Chapter One**

He had been researching their new mark when a beautiful woman swooped down in front of him, her face blocking his computer screen.

"Morning, Arthur!"

The point man smiled as his girlfriend placed a sweet kiss on his lips. "Morning, love…" he mumbled against her mouth.

Ariadne giggled and pulled away, moving behind him to place her head on his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

Arthur picked up the manila folder lying on his desk and showed it to her. Multiple photos of a handsome young man with dark, black hair were attached to it with paper clips, and the architect pulled off some of the images, studying them curiously. "Who's this? He's hot!"

"That's not something most guys want to hear their girlfriends say..."

Ariande laughed. "Aww, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it _that_ way..."

" Yeah, yeah...His name is Emmett, Emmett Bonaparte. Born and raised on the outskirts of Toulouse, but now residing in the heart of Paris. Apparently, he's a wealthy business man with a wandering eye- it was his girlfriend, Elizabeth, who hired us. Said she wanted us to find out if he's cheating. Promised us a hundred grand in _cash_ if we could do it."

Ariadne let out a low whistle, her eyebrows raised. "And she needed a fucking _extraction_ team to do this? What ever happened to good old-fashioned private investigators or stalkers?"

"Why, are you suggesting we turn down the offer?" Arthur chuckled, twisting around to look at her. The young woman rolled her eyes.

"_No_, I just think that spending so much on such a simple, easy task seems a little frivolous. It's a shame that she'd waste all that money on herself when she could be out doing something good in the world, like…I dunno…saving the children in Africa dying of AIDS, or-or feeding the poor families in India…"

"…Did you stay up all night watching CNN again?"

"…Maybe." The point man shook his head in amusement, and Ariadne smacked him lightly. "I'm _just saying_ that she should spend her money on something more important than this."

"Agreed," Arthur nodded. "But, you know what they say- 'I'll do anything for love'. Some people use money, like Elizabeth. Some people fake their own death, like Juliet. And some people invade other people's privacy by entering their dreams, like-"

"Okay, that was _one _fucking time, six months ago! And it's not like you don't enjoy the outcome of my invasion."

"That's true," Arthur smirked.

Ariadne stuck her tongue out at him and looked at the manila folder again. "So what kind of dream world do I built for this case?"

"Well," he answered, gesturing to the website loaded on his computer. "According to this interview, he's very partial to cathedrals and churches. He was very religious growing up, supposedly. His father was an ordained deacon."

"A church boy turned billionaire playboy? Didn't see that coming…"

"Yes, well, it's best not to judge a book by its cover. You should know that by now, love."

Ariadne shrugged her shoulders in agreement. "Okay, so his dream world needs to be a cathedral? Never built one of those before."

"I'm sure you'll be able to make one. And hey, if you want to practice, Yusuf stored some of his new sedative pills in that bottle on his desk."

The architect bit her lip thoughtfully. "Good idea," Giving the folder back to Arthur, she walked over to the chemist's workstation and picked up the small, white bottle full of pills. After taking a capsule out of the container, she headed towards the arrangement of chairs the team used for practice runs, a familiar metal suitcase sitting on a table in the middle of the seats.

Ariadne opened the case and pulled out a wire, gingerly placing it on her wrist. She sat down on a nearby armchair and popped the sedative into her mouth. Her body started to relax immediately and she struggled to keep her eyes open.

"G'night, Arthur…"

She barely heard him say "Sweet dreams…" before slipping into unconsciousness.

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Arthur couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of her sleeping form. Only five minutes had passed, and she was already snoring softly, her mouth slightly open. Ariadne's loose, brown hair fanned around her face like a mane, and her body had curled up into a fetal position, head lying on her clasped hands. She was just too damn _adorable_ for words.

A faint beep tore his eyes away from his girlfriend's face, settling on the metal briefcase she was hooked up to. A red light on the device was flashing and a single wire was dangling off the table.

'_Ariadne must have pulled it out of its safety holder accidentally…'_ With a sigh, the point man stood up and walked towards the case, intent on fixing the problem. He grabbed the wire and was about to place it back into its position, when an idea struck.

He knew he wouldn't get in trouble- he could always say that he was running some tests. He knew he could use the extraction equipment for personal missions- he _built_ the damn thing, so he must hold _some_ kind of ownership on it. He knew that Ariadne would be furious once they woke up.

But Arthur didn't care. She did it to him; he was only returning the favor.

After running over to Yusuf's desk and grabbing a sedative, he raced back to the suitcase and taped the wire to his arm. Arthur settled into the lawn chair beside Ariadne and swallowed the pill, feeling the capsule slide down his throat.

He sighed and leaned back in his seat, his eyes fluttering to a close.

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**Leave a review! What do you think Ariadne's dreaming about? Will Arthur like it? Will _someone else_ enter the dream, too?**

**Now, here's the bad news- I won't be able to update for a while (I'm going on vacation tomorrow until late Saturday, and school starts on Monday *gag*), but I promise to post the second chapter ASAP. Hopefully I'll have it up by next Thursday? **

**-MusicMakesMeWannaCRAZYDANCE**


	2. Wandering Around Paris

**Hey guys! I've missed you! =}**

**So...I was able to convince my mom and dad to let me bring my laptop while we went on vacation. I have to do the dishes for two weeks in return, but oh well. It was worth it. Anyway, good news is I can post the second chapter, so here it is (obviously). **

**Sorry it's a little on the short side- the 'action' in this will happen a lot faster than in did in DALDOM, so I wanted to drag out the story some. It'll pick up in the next chapter, though. Promise. **

**So, here it is! Hope you like it. Leave a review after you read it, and don't forget to check out my profile to get the link to the story banner. **

**Enjoy!**

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**We'll Be a Dream**

**Chapter Two**

He was definitely in France. There was a familiar, romantic feeling in the air, the cooing of pigeons could be heard everywhere, and the fragrant smell of fleur-de-lis forced him to take a deep breath, inhaling the scent greedily. Yes, this was France.

And, according to the magnificent Eiffel Tower looming over him, this was _Paris_, France.

Ariadne had really outdone herself. Arthur even had to check his totem to make sure that he really had entered her dream. When the small, red die refused to stop rolling on the ground, though, he knew that he wasn't in _France_ France, but _Ariadne's_ France.

The point man picked up his totem and pocketed it, fingering the smooth edges. Squinting in the morning sunlight, he looked around. The Parisian streets were uncharacteristically bare, and Arthur found the lack of pedestrians very unsettling. There were no cars, no projections, not even a fucking dog was in sight. Where was everyone?

Church bells rang out in the distance, snapping Arthur out of his thoughts and reminding him of his task.

He had to get to Ariadne.

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The soles of his Italian-leather shoes echoed as they hit the sidewalk. Arthur wasn't exactly sure which way to go and he was slightly worried- Ariadne was one of the more imaginative members of the team, and no doubt she had created an entire dream world for her practice run. And there were many churches in Paris alone. Where could she be?

He reached the end of the street and took a sharp left, turning onto yet another abandoned road. Arthur could feel himself start to panic; in all his years of extracting, he'd never entered a projection-less dream. He didn't even know that this was possible, but, then again, anything was possible in dreams. And since this was Ariadne's dream, who was a skilled architect and extractor herself, it wasn't that surprising that she could manipulate her subconscious into disappearing. But Arthur had made it very clear to her that her subconscious was needed to protect her, seeing how she was now a criminal. Why she had decided to forego said protection confused and scared him.

The church bells rang again and, to Arthur's dismay, sounded a lot farther than they had been before.

"Shit…"

The point man turned on his heel and walked back up the street, trying to return to his starting position. But even with the top of the Eiffel Tower guiding him like the North Star, he was still hopelessly lost. France's narrow streets all looked alike, and though Arthur was usually very good with directions, he'd learned from past experience that your sense of North and South went out the window when in a dreamscape. Dreams, even those of the most experienced extractors, were always changing. For all he knew, Ariadne could have put a black hole right in the middle of Paris. So he had to be careful.

The last thing he wanted to do was to pull a 'Cobb'.

* * *

He really shouldn't have done this. Ariadne had had it easy- it's not like she could get lost in his dream house. But Arthur had been walking around for at least thirty minutes, and he still couldn't find any churches or cathedrals. He really should have expected this from an architect.

The sun had risen higher in the sky, the humid heat shining on him making his black, three-piece suit feel like a death trap. He reached the corner of two unfamiliar streets and sat down on a nearby bench, reaching up and nearly tugging off the buttons of his waistcoat. Arthur let out a defeated sigh and rubbed his eyes warily. Times like this was when he wished that Cobb, or Yusuf, or, fuck, even Eames was there to help him. He really, really, _really_ shouldn't have done this. "Dammit…"

"Fancy a tour guide, darling?"

The girlish shriek that escaped the point man's mouth was a lot less dignified then he would have liked it to be.

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**Aww, poor Arthur. =}**

**Who do you think just came into the dream? Well, it should be pretty obvious, but the question is...is he real? or a _projection_? *dramatic sound effects* Bum-bum-bummmmmmmm...**

**Be on the lookout for chapter three!**

**-MusicMakesMeWannaCRAZYDANCE**


	3. Meet Eames, My GPS System

**Hey! I'm back from my trip! =}**

**I'm glad you guys liked the second chapter, and pretty much all your guesses were correct. **

**Here's the third chapter- again, it's a little on the short side, and it's more of a filler!chapter than an actual chapter!chapter. I just wanted to, again, drag out the story a little more, and to explore Eames' character (because I'm planning to write a oneshot/series of ficlets that revolve around him, and I wanted to make sure I wrote him well enough). So, sorry if this chapter didn't meet you guys' expectations. I PROMISE ON MY PREORDERED INCEPTION DVD tht the next chapter will include Ariadne. PROMISE.**

**So, here it is. Be sure to leave a review, and to check out the story banner on my profile.**

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We'll Be a Dream

**Chapter Three**

It took at least a minute for Arthur to calm his pounding heart. Once his breathing returned to normal, he whipped around to glare at his unexpected companion, who was still laughing at his high-pitched squeak. "It's _not_ that funny, Eames."

"Oh, but it is," the forger replied, one last chuckle escaping his mouth. A wide smirk was still playing on his face, though, as he walked around the bench and sat down next to Arthur. "I would have never expected a scream like that from such a professional man as you. Tell me- around what age did your body start developing? With a vocal range like yours, I'm guessing it was recently."

The point man's glare hardened as he flicked off his colleague. "Fuck off. You just…caught me by surprise, that's all. What are you doing here, anyway? You're not a projection, are you?" he reached out and flicked Eames on the forehead (a little harder than necessary), eliciting a yelp of protest from the Brit's mouth.

"What the fuck was that for, you little twit?" He exclaimed, rubbing the rapidly reddening skin.

Now it was the point man's turn to smirk. "Just checking."

Eames scowled at him. "Bloody hell, that hurt…"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "You've yet to answer my question. How'd you get in here?"

The forger sighed. "I got to the warehouse about five minutes ago," he explained. "Cobb and Yusuf still weren't there, and I saw you and Ariadne attached to the machine. Well, naturally, I thought you two were having a little morning fun, so I decided to pop in and see what was going on."

"...You thought we were having sex, so you decided to come and watch the show?"

"Why, did I miss it already?"

Arthur grimaced. "No, nothing happened, you sick bastard. Ariadne and I were _not_ having sex, so I'm sorry to disappoint your perverted mind…. And I can't believe you were going to _watch_ us!"

Eames shrugged. "Sorry, darling. Most people find having an audience a great turn-on. Yusuf did."

The point man paled. "You and Yusuf had…." He shuddered at the thought, trying to block out the mental image that was threatening to enter his mind.

"So, where's Ariadne?" Eames asked, and Arthur was grateful for the subject change.

"I don't know. She went under to practice her church building skills for our next client. According to her, she's never made one before, and that's what the dreamscape needs to be."

"Hmm, interesting…but, why are _you_ here?"

Arthur's cheeks turn a slight crimson. He'd been caught red-handed, and by Eames, no less. "I….um…"

Eames let out a hearty chuckle. "You were going to get her back for bursting into your dream six months ago? Wow, darling, I would have never expected this. Revenge doesn't suit you well."

"It's not revenge," the point man stressed. "I'm just…giving her a taste of her own medicine."

"Okay, first of all, _no one_ uses that phrase anymore. " Arthur shot Eames an exasperated look. "And _second of all_, it still sounds like you were trying to get back at her…"

"Whatever," Arthur sighed, standing up from the bench. "All that matters is that I'm in her dream, _you're_ in her dream, sadly, and I have no idea which church Ariadne is in."

"Yes, you really should keep a tighter leash on your girlfriend, darling." Eames stood up as well and clapped his colleague on the shoulder. "So, where are we off to?"

He looked at the forger, confused. "_We_?"

"Of course! You don't honestly expect me to let you search for your ladylove alone, do you?"

"Erm…"

"C'mon," Eames huffed, grabbing Arthur by the elbow and steering him left. "You said she was in a church? I'm quite certain I passed one on my way here."

"How did you find me anyway?" the point man asked, yanking his elbow from Eames' grip.

"Darling, when there are no projections around, you're pretty easy to spot. Besides, I could see your bloody suit from a mile away. You looked like a little smudge of black from my perspective. Might I suggest a much more sensible form of dress? One should not to have to suffer in this heat. Maybe a tee shirt? Have you ever heard of jeans? They're quite comfortable, actually…"

Arthur sighed. Although he was thankful that Eames seemed to know where he was going, the Brit's constant rambling was starting to give him a headache.

"…And Saito just bought me this lovely little department store in-"

"Eames?"

"Yes, darling?'

"Shut the fuck up."

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**Yeahhh, sorry for such a lame ending. I wanted to finish/post this before I headed to my violin class, so it's a bit rushed. But I hoped you liked it. Was Eames written believably enough? Tell me in a review.**

**Look out for an Action-filled/Ariadne-filled chapter four!**

**-MusicMakesMeWannaCRAZYDANCE**


	4. Realizations

**Hey, Guys! I'm back!**

**Sorry it took me so long to update. School started on Monday, and I've been so caught up with everything, that I haven't found the time to write till now.**

**And this chapter ended up not going exactly as I thought it would, so this is probably gonna suck BAAAAAADDD. I know this will be kind of a let down for y'all (it was a let down for me ={). I'll try to edit tit when I have more time, but for now, just bear with this version of the chapter...unless you like this version. o_O**

**So, yeah, read and review- tell me what you guys think; should I change the chapter or leave it alone?**

**Also, I made a second banner for this fic, AND for DALDOM, so go check them out-links on my profile. I'm ESPECIALLY pround of the second DALDOM one. Just sayin'.**

**Hope you can, at least, tolerate this chapter...**

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**We'll Be a Dream**

**Chapter Four**

"Eames, I thought you said you knew where the church was!"

"I do, darling, I do! I'm just…err…taking a little detour."

Arthur groaned. They had been on this 'detour' for the past fifteen minutes, and it was becoming painfully obvious that Eames had no idea which way to go. "We're never going to find her if we keep wandering around like this!"

"Oh, chin up, Arthur! Don't you trust me?"

"No."

"Now, now, darling. Don't forget that I _didn't _let you fall when Cobb made us play that 'team-building' trust-fall game. Have a little faith in me!"

"I'll show a little faith when you find the damn church."

The Parisian heat had only gotten worse with time, and the point man had taken off his suit jacket, carefully carrying it on his arm as to not wrinkle the fabric. He was thinking about taking his silk tie off, perhaps even undoing a few buttons on his dress shirt, when he ran into a big, study wall.

Which turned out to be Eames.

The forger had halted in his tracks right in front of Arthur, not even flinching when his colleague slammed into his back. "Bloody hell…she's much more talented than I giver her credit for…"

Grumbling, Arthur pushed Eames out of the way. "What are you talk-"

He cut off abruptly once he saw the sight that had Eames immobilized in the middle of the street.

It was gorgeous. The stone walls were a clean, bright, white, reflecting off the rays of light coming from the sun. Magnificent stained glass windows were wedged between the stones, a multitude of color shining down on the ground. Black double doors were placed at the entrance, and a huge, brass bell hung from the tower next to the building.

One would have never guessed that this was the first church she had built. And it was a _cathedral_, too.

Arthur couldn't help but beam with pride. After all, it was _his_ girlfriend, _his_ Ariadne that had created this. Talent like hers was hard to come across, and it amazed him how professional her work seemed, even though she had barely finished college. "Great job, Ari…"

"Well, are we just going to stand here all day, or what?" Eames, once again, grabbed Arthur by the elbow and steered him toward the church entrance. He reached for the handle, only to get his hand swatted away. "Ow!"

"We can't just walk in there!" Arthur chastised, looking at his partner disapprovingly. "Ariadne doesn't know we're in her dream, remember? For all we know, there could be projections on the other side. Look through the window and check."

"Yes, mother," Eames huffed sarcastically, leaning over to peer into one of the colorful windows. After a few seconds, he pulled back, confused, before moving forward and pressing his forehead against the glass.

Arthur's eyebrows rose. "…is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I guess…" he replied, his voice muffled slightly. "But there's a whole lot of people in there… the entire town, I'd reckon…and they're all purple."

"That's why there were no projections around!" the point man recalled. "I wonder why they're…wait, did you say they were _purple_?"

"Yeah!" Eames exclaimed, finally looking up from the window. "It's bizarre! You're girlfriend has a strange mind."

Arthur looked down at the window pane, where Eames' breath had fogged up the glass.

The stained _purple_ glass.

He sighed, deciding not to correct his colleague. Eames would figure it out soon enough. Hopefully. "Well, do you see Ariadne?"

"Um…" Eames looked into the church one more time. "I can't see anything right now, really. A whole lot of projections are standing in the way…they seem to be fawning over some lady in white…"

The church bells rang again for the third time, making both men cover their ears.

"C'mon," Arthur beckoned once the bells had ceased. "There's too many projections here- we don't want to make a scene. Let's try and go through another entrance."

* * *

The back door was unlocked.

There were no projections in sight, so, once Arthur had deemed it safe to enter, Eames slowly opened the door and tiptoed in.

Arthur himself walked in like a normal person, thank you very much.

He rolled his eyes as Eames, who was humming the James Bond theme song, sneaked along the walls carefully, almost knocking over a vase while doing so.

"Would you stop acting like such a fucking idiot?" He hissed, watching his coworker's hands barely catch the vase in time.

"Live a little, darling! Why don't you pull that stick out of your arse just this once?"

Scoffing, Arthur walked passed Eames and headed toward the main part of the church, leaving his partner to hurry after him.

"Bloody hell, Arthur- I was only joking!"

* * *

"What do you see?" Eames asked, nudging Arthur's side.

They were crouching beside the side entrance of the chapel, peeking in through the small crack in the door. All the pews inside were fill with projections, so Arthur had thought is best not to go in.

"Nothing yet. But everyone is quieting down- I think something's about to happen." They both waited silently, their movement stilling as they held their breath.

The opening bars of a familiar tune, however, broke Arthur out of his momentary pose. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and he turn to Eames. "Is that…Pachelbel's Canon?"

The forger didn't answer, looking into the chapel. His face broke out in a smile, and he point excitedly. "There's Ariadne!"

"What? Where?" Arthur all but shoved Eames aside, peering into the room himself.

It was Ariadne.

But… she was wearing a beautiful, white dress, made of what seemed to be Indian silk. In her hands was a bouquet of white roses, and a thin veil was placed over her head. Her eyes were full of love and happiness. She was smiling, her grin spreading from ear to ear.

But she wasn't smiling in his direction.

Instead, her joyful gaze was directed at a man, a man whose back was facing Arthur. A man who had a head full of dark, black hair.

All of a sudden, everything came rushing back to him.

_"Who's this? He's hot!"_

"_You really should keep a tighter leash on your girlfriend, darling."_

"_A whole lot of projections are standing in the way…they seem to be fawning over some lady in white…"_

"No…" Arthur breathed. All common sense and logic left his mind, and he stumbled away from the door. "She-she can't be…"

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" Eames asked, moving over to look into the chapel. "Oh, look! Ariadne is marrying-"

"She's marrying Emmett!"

The forger whipped around." Who in God's name is Emmett?"

Arthur flung his hand toward the door, gesturing to the dark-haired man. "Him! She's fucking marrying him! And I thought….I thought…"

"Him?" Eames exclaimed, peering through the door again. "Darling, that's-"

"I knew I wasn't good enough for her! " Arthur cried, ignoring him. "But she said…and he's so-"

"We're in a _dream_, Arthur! This isn't real!"

"And I was going to fucking propose to her! But he just had to-"

"Arthur, come here and look again! It's not who you-"

"Move."

Eames looked at his colleague with wide eyes, not recognizing the man before him.

Arthur's eyes were dark, his jaw clenched. A wild fire burned in his irises, and for the first time in his life, Eames was frightened of the point man.

"Darling? Just calm-"

"DAMMIT, MOVE, EAMES!"

Arthur grabbed Eames and pushed him away, leaving him back up against the wall.

"Arthur, no!"

But Arthur didn't listen. Instead he flung the doors open and ran into the chapel, ignoring all the cold stares from the projections.

* * *

Ariadne wasn't expecting this. She had just been about to recite her vows when Arthur, _real_ Arthur, suddenly appeared. He was breathing heavily, his tense upper body visible through the white dress shirt he was wearing. "Arth-"

The point man didn't meet her bewildered gaze. In fact, his eyes weren't fixed on the architect, but on the man wearing a tux in front of her. Just as her groom could turn around to face him, though, Arthur's hand curled into a fist.

A fist that soon came in contact with said groom's head.

Ariadne let out a gasp, and immediately, all the projections in the room sprang into action.

Arthur was grabbed by at least a dozen hands, all trying to pull him apart. He struggled against them, but, once he saw the growing circle of 'people' around him, he decided to give up.

He'd lost Ariadne already- there was nothing else to fight for.

A gun clicked dangerously close to his ear, and Arthur glanced down, expecting to see the bruised face of Emmett Bonaparte, the projection of the man who took away everything.

But instead, all he saw was a long, bony face and chocolate eyes. All he saw was dark brown hair, slicked back perfectly.

All he saw was a projection of himself.

His own eyes widened in realization, but before he could look at Ariadne, the trigger was pulled, kicking him out of the dream.

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**Please leave a review- does it suck as much as I think it does?**

**Look out for the update.**

**-MusicMakesMeWannaCRAZYDANCE**


	5. Storming Out

**HEY, YOU GUYS! **

**Whew, I FINALLY finished all my homework (algebra should be illegal), so now I have time to post this next chapter! Thanks for all the reviews on the last one. I decided I'm not going to do any MAJOR revisions on it, maybe just tweek a couple of things here and there. I'll probably do that this coming week. But I don't think it'll change the plot of the story, so you won't have to reread it again (unless you want to, of course.)**

**So, yeah. Here it is. Leave a review!**

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**We'll Be a Dream**

**Chapter Five**

Arthur jolted awake, heart pounding in his chest. His breathing was heavy, and both his left ear and right hand throbbed. Ariadne's dream had seemed _so_ real, his body was physically pained from the actions that had happened.

With shaky fingers, Arthur removed the wire attached to his wrist, too shocked to feel the sharp pain of the tape pulling at his skin. He sat in silence, trying to process what had taken place.

Ariadne had created a dream world. He had gotten lost. Eames found him and brought him to Ariadne. Ariadne was marrying a projection Arthur had thought to be Emmett, their new mark. Arthur ran in and punched the projection. The projection turned out to be Arthur. Now _real_ Arthur had landed himself into a very bad situation.

Yes, that about summed it up.

Nervously, the point man turned to face his colleagues, relieved to find both of them still asleep. But Ariadne's once serene smile had changed into a look of pure fear; her eyes closed tightly, nervous whimpers coming from her mouth. Beside her, Eames was groaning in his sleep, arms flinging wildly in some sort of defense mechanism.

As much as Arthur wanted for Ariadne to remain asleep (because no doubt she would have a thing or two to say to him), he knew that he had to wake them. Something bad was happening in the dreamscape, and he needed to get them out of there.

The partially-empty warehouse (_honestly_, where were Cobb and Yusuf?) echoed as Arthur bounded out of his seat towards Ariadne. With two short steps, he was standing in front of the young woman, who still had that look of fear on her face. Arthur reached out to shake her by the shoulders, but before he could even move his hands, Ariadne's eyes snapped open, filled with terror and surprise. She let out a strangled gasp, and Arthur immediately grabbed her hand worriedly.

"Ariadne, are you okay?"

The architect looked at him, still slightly dazed from the dream. But as the sedative began to wear off, the fear in her eyes was replaced with a burning rage. She glared at Arthur, who gulped audibly. "Ari?"

"Get away from me," she snarled, pushing him to the side. She leapt out of her chair and towards Eames, who was still asleep. Grabbing him by the arm, she began to violently shake him. "Eames, Eames! Wake up!"

Worried, Arthur rushed to her side, praying that the forger would come to.

After a few seconds, Eames awoke; his eyes wide with panic. Arthur breathed a sigh of relief and tried to loosen Ariadne's grip on their colleague. "He's okay, Ariadne. He's-"

A deafening smack resounded in the warehouse as Ariadne wheeled around, the palm of her hand colliding with Arthur's cheek. The point man stumbled backward, his own hand reaching up to touch the throbbing flesh. He looked up, hurt and confused, to see Ariadne's eyes brimming with tears.

"You _bastard_!" She shrieked, pointing at him accusingly. "You selfish _bastard_! You had _no_ right to do that!"

Arthur gaped at her. "_I_ had no right to enter your dream? Well, _you_ didn't have any right to enter _mine_ six months ago!"

"This is different!"

"_How?_" he exclaimed incredulously, his hand still rubbing at his swollen cheek. _Fuck_, that hurt.

"You almost killed Eames!"

Arthur froze, a cold, deathly feeling coursing through his veins.

"I-? Wha-? How-?"

"The projections tried to skin him alive after they killed you! All because you thought you could be a bad-ass and punch a projection in a room_ full_ of projections!" Ariadne burst into sobs as Eames, who had stayed unusually silent till now, stood up from his chair to place a comforting hand on Ariadne's trembling shoulders.

"Now, Ariadne, shhh….I'm okay…It's fine-"

"_No!_" Ariadne yelped, her voice raspy from crying. "It's _not_ okay! He could have _killed_ us!"

Arthur's heart panged with guilt, and he looked down, ashamed. "Ariadne, I'm _so_ sorry-"

"_Sorry?_" the young woman laughed mirthlessly. "For what? For going into my dream? For ruining my practice run? For almost killing Eames? Or are you sorry for embarrassing me by barging into my wedding? Seriously, Arthur, what the _fuck_ were you thinking?"

Arthur stayed quiet, to overwhelmed to speak.

"Sweetheart," Eames said gently, trying to ease the tension. "Just let Arthur explain. He meant no harm-"

"No," Ariadne choked, tears streaming down her face. "I don't need explanations." She yanked herself from Eames' hand and shoved past Arthur, who turned to watch her.

"Ariadne, please-"

"Tell Cobb I'm sorry," Ariadne muttered, grabbing her push from her desk and storming out the door.

Arthur felt the tears start to form, but he held them back and faced Eames, who was staring at him sympathetically. "Did they really try to skin you alive?"

Eames bit his lip and nodded.

Arthur sighed. "I'm _so_ sorry, Eames."

The forger shrugged and smiled sadly. "S'okay, darling. But I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

And that was when Arthur let a single tear fall.

Because, for the first time, Eames was right.

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**I know some of you are thinking 'Why didn't Ariande mention the fact that Arthur thought she was being unfaithful?" But don't worry, there's a reason I left it out. You'll see why in later chapters... =}**

**Was it too OOC of Ariadne to blow up at Arthur? Leave a review!**

**-MusicMakesMeWannaCRAZYDANCE**


	6. The Bonaparte Case: Part One

**Hey, huns! Here's the (first ) part of the next chapter. This might seem more of a filler chapter, but only cuz most of the action is in the second part, and I don't have time to write it right now (cuz my mom is yelling at me to go to sleep...haha...). So, yeah...**

**Also, I understand that some of you thought that Ariande and/or Arthur were a little OOC in the previous chapter. So I apologize for that. Hopefully, I'll be able to write them spot-on again in the coming chapters.**

**And a BIGGG thanks to EmoGleek for answering the crapload of questions I asked while writing this chapter. She is amazing! =}  
If you haven't read her stories yet, go read them! They are reallllllllly good! I especially like 'Perfect Timing', which is her FIRST Inception multi-chapter fic. So go read that (after you read this of course...XD)**

**Read and Review!**

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**We'll Be a Dream  
Chapter Six (Part One)**

Ariadne wasn't at work by noon the next day.

Her desk remained untouched, bare of the mountains of graphing paper and crumpled sketches that usually cluttered her work area. Across the warehouse, Arthur refused to look at her empty chair, reviewing the game plan for the Bonaparte extraction over and over again. He itched for his phone, longing to call her, to find out where she was, but he curled his hands into a fist before he could feel the smooth touch screen beneath his fingertips. Ariadne was a grown woman, responsible for herself. If she was going to come to work, she would come on her own accord.

* * *

By 2:27, she still hadn't come.

Thanks to Arthur's research, the team knew that Emmett was prone to taking 4:30 naps, and they had to catch a jet to Switzerland (where the mark was staying for a business trip), get to the hotel he was staying in, steal a room key from the hotel staff, and enter his dream to extract the information they needed before Emmett's 5:45 meeting. They couldn't wait on Ariadne anymore. They had to leave. Now.

A quick phone call from Cobb had Miles rushing to meet them at the airport, ready to step in for his missing former-student. The extractor and his father-in-law spoke in hushed tones as the team boarded the private jet Saito had bought them, but even though he could feel their stares boring into his back, Arthur didn't meet their gaze. No doubt Cobb was explaining their architect's absence to their substitute. Looking back at them would just be an invitation for questioning. And questioning was the last thing Arthur wanted.

* * *

His hand draped limply over the armrest of his seat, feeling the textured fabric of the chair beside him. They were to land in Switzerland in an hour or so, and he couldn't help but slide his fingers to his left, where Ariadne would have normally been sitting. On flights like this, the point man would have taken her hand, rubbing his thumb gently over her skin in smooth circles, trying to rid her of the fear and anxiety she always felt before an extraction.

But with Ariadne gone, he felt nothing but air, fingers twitching unconsciously, looking for its missing companion. Arthur sighed, pulling his hand away from the empty seat and shoving it into his pocket. He thumbed the corner of his loaded red die and stared forlornly out the tiny window. This was going to be a long mission.

* * *

As soon as they got to the hotel, Cobb began bark out assignments. "Okay, Eames? Go charm the spare key to Emmett's suite from that concierge at the front desk. Room 743. Miles, go with him- keep him in check. Yusuf, the security office is down the hall and to the left. Go disable the cameras in Emmett's room."

Arthur watched as his teammates went off to do their respective jobs. He cleared his throat, catching Cobb's attention, and picked up the metal briefcase resting at his feet. "I'm gonna check to make sure the equipment's working."

The point man turned on his heel, about to go search for a secluded hallway or bathroom, when his boss's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Arthur, come back here."

He sighed warily and walked back toward Cobb, who was watching him with careful eyes. "Yes?"

The extractor looked at him, concerned. "…Are you okay?"

Arthur had worked with Cobb long enough to know that the man could _read_ people. One glance into their eyes, and he knew every emotion he was feeling, every thought that crossed their mind. Cobb could analyze body language almost as if it was a _second_ language, and seemed to be able to look deep into your soul.

But Arthur had also worked with Cobb long enough to be considered as the extractor's best friend, and Cobb knew enough not to pry into Arthur's personal life too much. The only time he asked if Arthur was okay was when he knew something major had happened.

And Cobb, who had probably gotten the whole story from Eames, was just trying to look out for his best friend.

So Arthur squared his shoulders and gave him a small, tight smile, fighting to keep his voice steady and reassuring. He had cracked yesterday when Ariadne left and he didn't want to break down again. "I'm fine, Cobb."

The sadness and guilt that swam in Arthur's irises told Cobb otherwise, but he decided to let it go. Arthur was a strong man. He could take care of himself. "…Okay…But I'm going to ask you to stay with Eames during the extraction. Yusuf's gonna stay behind to keep an eye on us, and Miles will go with me to deal with Bonaparte. You just stick with Eames and watch our backs."

Arthur gritted his teeth. It was obvious that Cobb was trying to keep him from meeting Emmett, just in case he snapped again. And even though he knew that it was best that he stayed away from their mark as much as possible, he hated the idea of keeping guard instead of breaking into the dream vault.

But Cobb _was_ his boss, so the point man nodded curtly as Eames and Miles returned, the key card between the fingers of the forger.

"We got it," Miles muttered, taking the card from Eames and handing it to Cobb. Just then, Yusuf appeared beside them, breathless and flushed.

"Police were after me," he wheezed, clutching his heart. "Just got away now."

"Well, were you able to turn off the cameras?"

The chemist nodded. "But before the screen turned black, Bonaparte was already in bed. We have to hurry."

Cobb nodded and glance at his crew. "Are you ready?"

The question was mostly directed towards Arthur, though, and everyone turned to look at him. He swallowed thickly and held up the suitcase. "Let's go."

As they crowded into the elevator, Arthur took a deep breath and tried to forget how Ariadne would be asking him for a quick kiss right now, before they started the mission.

He had to forget everything that had happened, at least for the next two hours. Because he was working now.

And he needed to focus.

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**So...how was it? Was it better than the last chapter? Leave a review please! If you do, I'll send you a virtual fruit basket. I hope you like oranges.**

**-MusicMakesMeWannaCRAZYDANCE**


	7. The Bonaparte Case: Part Two

****

Forgive me.

**I know, I know- it's been a LOOOOOOONNNNNGGG time since I've updated, and I apologize. School has just been so hectic and whatnot, I just had no time to post. BUT, the good news is, all the major projects that had kept me away from my writing are now complete, so I'll be free to update more frequently. And I PROMISE to never again take such a long time to update. Scout's honor. **

**Now, some things you should know about this chapter.**

**a) It didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. But then again, _most_ things don't turn out the way I wanted to. So if this sucks, I'm sorry I made you wait such a long time for such a crappy chapter.**

**b) My lack of ability to write fight scenes is evident in this chapter. If anyone can give me tips on how to improve the fighting, PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE leave a review. Tell me what I can do better!**

**c)Arthur or Eames _might_ be OOC at some points...just a warning...**

**So, yeah. That's about it. Hope you enjoy it, and look out for the next update!**

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_**Previously on 'We'll Be a Dream'...**_

_As they crowded into the elevator, Arthur took a deep breath and tried to forget how Ariadne would be asking him for a quick kiss right now, before they started the mission._

_He had to forget everything that had happened, at least for the next two hours. Because he was working now._

_And he needed to focus._

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**We'll Be a Dream****  
****Chapter Six (Part Two)**

Arthur couldn't help but compare Miles' cathedral with Ariadne's. The walls were a plain gray instead of a sparkling white. This bell wasn't as big as the original. There weren't as many stained-glass windows, and the thick, dark storm clouds in the sky prevented any color from streaming through.

It wasn't that Miles wasn't a good architect, because he was perfectly competent. Arthur just preferred Ariadne's work.

But maybe he was just bias.

Cobb pulled open the heavy front doors and ushered him into the church. Arthur stepped in, careful not to meet the gaze of the few projections milling around the narthex. The point man felt his boss nudge past him, his ears barely hearing the extractor's deep voice.

"Bonaparte's kneeling in the front left pew," Cobb muttered lowly, eyes locked ahead of him. Arthur glanced into the chapel, seeing a familiar head of black hair. "Miles is already in there, waiting for me. Stay here and keep watch."

"Wait, where's Eames?"

Cobb shrugged his shoulders. "He was supposed to waiting for us by the front door. But you know Eames- he could be on the roof for all I know. Go find him, and keep him out of trouble, will you?"

Arthur sighed quietly and nodded as the other man walked into the chapel. If he hadn't entered Ariadne's dream, he would be walked beside Cobb instead of watching his retreating form. If he hadn't entered Ariadne's dream, the dreamscape would have been magnificent.

If he hadn't entered Ariadne's dream, Ariadne would be here.

Arthur shook his head, trying to refocus. He needed to stop thinking of her, or else an Ariadne projection might appear out of no where. He had told Cobb he was fine- and he _was_ fine. The team depended on him, and he wasn't going to let them down.

Nearly all the projections were gone now- some of them had entered the chapel, while others had ventured outside. The point man walked around the narthex, checking every corner for any hidden traps or security, as well as any signs of the missing Englishman. He _was_ on guard duty, after all. He might as well do something productive.

* * *

Arthur had just finished checking another hallway for hiding projections and was walking back to the front of the cathedral when the door on his left opened. Startled, he whipped around and instinctively delivered a swift punch to the unknown being's torso, not even pausing to see his face.

"OW! What was that for, you bloody motherfucker?"

Arthur froze in confusion. To his surprise, he saw Eames on the ground, clutching his stomach and grimacing.

"Dammit, Arthur! That hurt!"

The point man quickly helped his coworker up, bringing him to his feet. "Where the fuck had you been? Why were you in that room?"

Eames, still rubbing his abs gently, looked at the door he had just come from. "I was already in here when I entered the dream- I must have miscalculated my position." He groaned in pain, hitting a sore spot on his stomach. "Bloody _hell_ that knocked the wind right out of me..."

"Sorry. I thought you were a projection. Why didn't you come out and meet us by the entrance?"

"I remembered what you had said about safety and didn't want to risk running into any projections this early in the mission. Thought it best to wait till the coast was clear. But I heard your footsteps in the hallway and figured it was safe."

"Well, I'm glad I've taught you at least one thing since I met you." Arthur deadpanned.

"Oh, don't worry, darling," Eames scoffed. "You've taught me plenty. For instance, I learned not to enter my girlfriend's dreams and break her projection's face from you."

A muscle in Arthur's cheek twinged and the forger instantly regretted his words "Arthur, love, I didn't mean it-"

"Cobb wanted us to keep guard." Arthur said stiffly. "We should go."

Eames opened his mouth once more to apologize, but the point man had already turned his back on him, walking briskly down the corridor. With a sigh, he decided to keep quiet and hurried to catch up with him.

* * *

"Do you know why Cobb didn't ask you to forge anyone?"

They were side by side now, walking the outside perimeter of the cathedral. The thick, dark storm clouds had lessened into gray, wispy ones, but still cast a shadow over them, and both men could feel small droplets of rain hitting the top of their heads every few seconds.

"He just told me that he thought Bonaparte would cooperate better if it was just him doing the interrogating," Eames replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Besides, pretty women aren't usually seen hanging around alters."

Arthur nodded, his eyes darting from left to right in an attempt to catch any sudden movements.

The Brit watched him, noticing the loneliness and guilt radiating from his body and felt sorry for his colleague. It was quite obvious he was missing Ariadne. His comment earlier was really uncalled for. "Darling, I really am sorry about what I said."

"I know you are, Eames." He responded quietly, still not making eye contact. "It's alright. It's my fault really- I overreacted."

"Is that why Cobb asked you to stay with me instead of accompanying him? So you wouldn't bring your emotions to the case?" Eames bit his tongue as soon as the last word left his lips. Why, why, _why_ had he brought that up? He really was an idiot sometimes…

Thankfully, Arthur didn't seem to mind. "Yes, I would think that's the reason…" he answered coolly. "Cobb has heard about what went on yesterday, and he decided to change the case plan. Obviously, he thought it best to keep me away from Bonaparte, which is okay. It's fine...I'm fine." His voice hitched a little, but he masked it with a cough.

"Are you sure you're alright, love?" Eames asked, looking at him. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

Arthur stopped walking and faced him for the first time. "What's there to talk about?" he asked quietly. "What's done is done. It can't be changed."

"But darling, don't you want to win her back? This is simply just a misunderstanding, after all. I'm sure she'd-" Out of the corner of his eye, Eames caught a slight movement in the distance and cut off. "Arthur...I think someone's coming…."

Slowly, Arthur turned around to see a young man standing no more than fifty feet away from him. The two extractors stilled, waiting to see what he would do.

Quick as lightning, the man pulled out a gun and fired a shot at them. Arthur jumped to the left, grabbing Eames by the collar and pulling him along. The bullet whizzed past them not a second later, and they darted back around the cathedral to hide along the wall.

"…As I was saying," Eames muttered, catching his breath. "I'm sure Ariadne would forgive you if you took the time to explain."

Arthur looked at him skeptically, but before he could respond, heavy footsteps announced the approaching projection and he whirled away from the wall to confront him. A hard blow to the neck and chest had the man wheezing in pain as the extractor wrestled the gun from his hand.

Still leaning against the cathedral, Eames turned to his right, only to spot _another_ man running towards them. "Bloody hell…" He pushed himself of the wall and into its path, blocking Arthur from the coming attack. The projection glared at him, shooting a fist up to Eames' face, but the forger ducked just in time. Eames swung a leg up to meet his right thigh and the man fell hard, hitting the concrete floor with a thud. The Englishman got up and pounced on him, pinning the projection down with his knees. He punched the man in the face and barely heard Arthur's voice over the sound of breaking bone.

"I'm not sure Ariadne would let me." He grunted out, still fighting Projection One for the gun. Arthur grabbed the man into a headlock and squeezed, his opponent's face turning red. "You heard what she said yesterday," he continued, prying the projection's fingers off the trigger. "She won't listen to any explanations."

"Darling, she didn't mean that. Ariadne was just a little shaken, that's all. Go talk to her. I'm sure it'll work out." Eames kneed Projection Two (who, apparently, was still strong enough for a second round) in the groin. The man beneath him withered in pain and he smirked. "Are you alright over there?" He added, looking over at his colleague. "Need any assistance?"

"No, I'm fine on my own." Arthur finally stole the gun from his projection and dropped his attacker to the floor. It fell to the ground, gasping for air, before the point man delivered a swift kick to the ribs with a shiny, Italian-leather-clad foot. Eames followed suit and gripped his own projection's head, snapping his neck with a simple twist. Both projections now lay still on the floor, blood trickling from their bodies.

The forger climbed off his opponent as the gray clouds gave way to bright sunshine- Cobb's signal that the extraction had been completed. Arthur squinted in the sudden brightness and waved the stolen gun in the air. "I think we're done here. I'll shoot you first, then follow."

"Wait!" Eames exclaimed as the point man raised the gun. "Promise me you'll talk to Ariadne as soon as we wake up."

Arthur's fingers twitched over the trigger. "But, Eames-"

"No buts. You two need to sort this out, even if I have to drag your guilty arse over to her apartment. Now promise me."

Arthur groaned. "Fine, okay…I promise."

Eames smiled. "Good. You and Ariadne are too perfect for each other to let a silly little spat tear you apart. Just talk to her, and I'm sure you'll be back to wearing matching sweaters and calling each other pet names and whatever other things couples do."

The point man couldn't help but roll his eyes. "You obviously have never experienced a real relationship, Mr. Eames."

"Oh, darling," the forger smirked. "Of course I haven't."

Arthur chuckled then smiled softly. "Thanks for all the help, Eames. Really, it means a lot to me."

"Just doing my best to help keep the peace, love. That's all…" Eames gave him a toothy grin and nodded his head, signaling his coworker to go ahead and shoot.

Once he'd fallen to the ground, Arthur sighed and lifted the gun to his own head. He was a man who kept his promises, and he'd promised Eames that he would talk to Ariadne. It was now or never.

With one last breath, Arthur shut his eyes and pulled the trigger.

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**Leave a review and I'll love you forever...or until I update next. Cuz then you'll have to review again. XD**

**-MusicMakesMeWannaCRAZYDANCE**


	8. Author's Note

**Yes, I know. I'm a horrible person.**

I promised you a fast update, but didn't follow through. And I'm terribly, terribly sorry….

But the thing is, I was grounded. My computer, iPod, and phone were _all_ taken away, leaving me unable to post. And I'm actually _still_ grounded (I'm using my friend's laptop secretly- shhh!), but I just wanted to let you know the reason why the next chapter hasn't been posted yet. Rest assured, I've been busy writing said chapter for a while (using good ol' pen and paper- it's been taking me a while, since there's no spell check available, and no internet to use for research.) And I'll (hopefully) get ungrounded by next Monday, so the chapter will be up, though, sadly, later than sooner.

Once again, I apologize for the inconvenience, but _pleasepleaseplease_ check back starting next Monday for the new chapter. I don't wanna see all of you leave me! =(

**-MusicMakesMeWannaCRAZYDANCE**


	9. Confessions

**Here's the update. I know, I know, it's long overdue. But I'm still grounded, so I typed up this chapter as fast as I could at my friend's house. Sorry in advance for any spelling mistakes/grammatical errors.**

**OH! And there's only going to be one more chapter to this story (an epilogue). Then I'll try to post some oneshots I've written as soon as I get my laptop back. **

**DOUBLE OH! Arthur might act more like Tom from (500) Days of Summer in this. My bad. I got my JGLs mixed up. Hopefully you'll still enjoy the chapter!**

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We'll Be a Dream  
Chapter Eight

Arthur was a calm man, most of the time. He could pour over pages and pages of research (alone in the warehouse, at midnight, in complete silence) without growing bored, restless, or weary. He could kill multiple projections in the blink of an eye- never tensing, only snapping limbs and breaking jaws with skilled, practiced hits. He could stare down the barrel of a gun with an even breathing pattern and steady hand, ready to shoot down whoever was on the receiving end, be it friend or foe. He was even calm during the most urgent of situations, quickly planning escape routs while the rest of his teammates panicked around him.

But at the end of the day, when he couldn't hide behind his gun or the silver briefcase that housed the PASIV device, he was as human as the next man. And since his job required the ability to switch personal feelings off, his emotions were often heightened whenever he _was _allowed to feel.

Which was why he was standing outside Ariadne's apartment, shaking in his leather shoes and nervous as hell.

He should have never listened to Eames. Ariadne was still upset with him, if her absence during the Bonaparte case was any indication. And Cobb, who experienced first-hand how mad the young woman could get, had told the rest of the team the many accusations she'd thrown his way in the lower levers of the Fischer job. Arthur wasn't too keen on angering his already belligerent girlfriend, but he _had_ promised Eames, and he _was_ really starting to miss Ariadne. So, with a deep breath to calm his pounding heart, he reached out and tentatively knocked on her door.

The dull thud resonated through the empty hallway, even though his knuckles had barely hit the wood. Arthur could hear faint movement from inside the apartment, and suddenly, cautiously, the door swung open.

They stared at each other silently- reading faces, deciphering expressions. Ariadne's eyes were slightly red and puffy, and Arthur was surprised to see the same guilt and pain he felt swimming in her irises.

"…hi." He murmured softly, his normally steady tone wavering.

"…hi." He replied, her voice hoarse and quiet.

An uncomfortable silence came over them, unspoken words lingering in the air. The hum from the building's air conditioner buzzed faintly. In a nearby apartment, a dog barked.

"…Can we talk?"

Ariadne jumped slightly, startled by the sudden sound of Arthur's voice. Her cheeks turned a pale pink, and she slowly stepped aside to let him in.

Arthur nodded his thanks and gratitude, walking into the familiar apartment he hadn't visited since the beginning of the week. As he heard the soft click of the door shutting behind him, he couldn't help but silently lift up a prayer to whatever God happened to be listening at the moment. Arthur had never been religious- his father had been Jewish, his mother Catholic, and they'd never really decided on what faith to bring their son up on. But considering what has happened, and considering what was _about_ to happen, he knew he could use all the help he could get.

* * *

She was wearing his shirt.

He noticed it from his spot in the armchair, watching her as she sat down on the edge of her couch.

It was the scarlet, Calvin Klein dress shirt he'd grown accustomed to leaving at her place. Arthur had frequently spent the night with his girlfriend, and having a clean change of clothes available helped him avoid rushing back to his own apartment across town, as well as the embarrassment of walking into work wearing yesterday's clothes.

The deep red contrasted with her almost translucent skin tone, and the cotton hung loosely on her body, making her already small frame seem even tinier. The shirt was wrinkled beyond repair and bore obvious signs of being slept in, but instead of feeling exasperated or annoyed, Arthur found it comforting and (dare he say it) adorable. He opened his mouth to comment on her choice of clothing, maybe to break the ice a little, but before he could utter a single word, Ariadne beat him to it.

"How did the job go?" she asked, her eyes locked on her clasped hands, avoiding his gaze. He dropped his stare to his own hands and replied, talking more towards his lap than her.

"It went alright. Cobb was able to get Miles to cover for you, so we at least had a dreamscape…nothing as great as you could have made," he quickly added. "But a dreamscape, nonetheless."

Ariadne nodded. "That's good…" They lapsed into another awkward silence before Arthur decided to just come out and say what he'd come to say.

"Ari, I'm so-"

"No, _I'm_ sorry…"

The point man looked at her in confusion. "What?"

Ariadne finally looked up at him, eyes beginning to brim with guilty tears. "I'm sorry I yelled at you, Arthur. I overreacted, and I didn't even give you a chance to explain yourself. I knew you were just trying to protect me and Eames from all the projections, but…I don't know, I guess I was just upset that you thought I couldn't handle them myself. And I didn't even come to work yesterday….I'm so sorry…"

A few tears finally rolled down her face, and Arthur leapt up from his seat to kneel in front of the architect, gently wiping them away. "Ari," he murmured, "I _never_ thought that you couldn't handle projections on your own! You're the strongest woman I know- and besides, they were _your _projections. As much as I hate to say it, I didn't punch myself to protect you…"

It was now Ariadne's turn to look confused. "But…then why _did_ you punch yourself?"

"I, uh…I thought I was punching Bonaparte…"

"Bonaparte?..._Emmett_ Bonaparte? But how? And why would you punch him in the first place?"

Arthur looked away from her, ashamed. "I don't know…I guess I was jealous….And in my defense," he said, thinking back to the dark head of hair that had started this whole ordeal. "Bonaparte looks _exactly_ like me from behind."

Ariadne still looked puzzled. "You were jealous of Bonaparte? Why?"

Arthur sighed, getting up from his knees and sinking into the couch beside her. He pulled her into his lap and mentally cheered when she didn't resist. "It's just….I'm a…He's handsome," he finally answered. "And rich, and famous. And I'm a workaholic, uptight criminal who spends all his time sleeping. I'm nothing compared to him." He turned his head to glance at her, only to receive a shock when he felt Ariadne's lips on his. He reveled at the contact he'd gone without for two days, but pulled away when his senses came back to him. "…what was that for?"

"It was my way of saying thank you for getting jealous." Ariadne replied softly.

"Thank you?" Arthur asked incredulously. "My jealously almost caused a projection riot, and I also inadvertently accused you of cheating on me."

"I know," she answered, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear and wrapping her arms around Arthur's neck. "But no one's ever gotten jealous over me before….it's quite flattering, really. And, whether you were trying to save me or not, you still punched a projection in a room full of projections. You were brave to do so, albeit stupid…"

Arthur let out a low chuckle, kissing Ariadne on the forehead. "I'd punch a thousand projections for you, Ari… I'd do anything for you. In good times, and in bad. For rich or for poor. In sickness and in health, till death to us part."

Ariadne blushed a deep crimson. "I can't believe you saw us getting married, though. I know, I know, I'm thinking too far ahead into the future- don't think anything of it, _please_. I…I just needed a reason to practice building a cath-"

"But what if I _want_ to think about it?" Arthur asked quietly, looking at her.

"…what?"

"I'm not asking you to marry me…yet." He quickly added. "But I _have _been thinking about it." His cheeks began to redden. "I love you, Ariadne, and maybe someday, hopefully, I'll be able to show you how _much_ I love you…"

Ariadne smiled softly. "I love you too, Arthur. And I can't wait to become Mrs. Arthur Levitt…."

Arthur laughed and pulled his girlfriend even closer. "Mrs. Arthur Levitt, huh?" he mused. "I like the sound of that…."

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**Yes, I am aware that the ending sucks. And that the whole thing was veryvery_very_ fast-paced. Like I said, I was rushing. Don't wanna be caught by my mommy...**

**But still leave a review!**

**-MusicMakesMeWannaCRAZYDANCE**


	10. Six Months Later

**LAST CHAPTER! WHOO!**

**Thanks to everyone who stuck with me till the end. You guys rock!**

**And I'm sorry that I haven't been on as much lately...school just gets in the way, ya know? And I'll be writing less so I'll probably only upload a couple of oneshots every month...maybe a full-fic when I have time...BUT I PROMISE I'LL HAVE AN INCEPTION HALLOWEEN FIC UP BY THE END OF OCTOBER! I've already written it-consider it my 'treat' for ya'll! =)**

**Now, about this chapter...it's an epilogue, so it's not that great. And the ending is really corny/cliche, but oh well. I hope you guys still like it!**

**Read and Review, and thanks again for sticking it out with me!**

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**We'll Be a Dream**  
**Chapter Nine**

**_Six months later..._**

"I must say, Arthur," Yusuf snickered. "This isn't one of your best ideas."

Arthur nodded in agreement as he and Ariadne watched Eames stand up from his seat at the table. The forger grabbed his wine glass and, after downing the remaining contents, began to drunkenly tap the side of the goblet with a dinner knife.

"Why, Ar?" Ariadne hissed, hiding behind her veil. "Of all the people you could have chosen, why'd you have to pick_ him_?" Everyone in the reception hall turned to look at them, but their focus was soon averted to Eames, who had succeeded in smashing his glass into pieces.

"Oops." With a shrug, he tossed the remains of the once sparkling crystal behind his shoulder then proceeded to the closest glass he could find, which, unfortunately, was Cobb's. The extractor looked up to glare at his colleague, but Eames ignored him.

"Attention! Attention, everybody!" His speech was slurred, thanks to the alcohol, and his entire body seemed to sway to an imaginary beat. Ariadne groaned, her cheeks flushing from embarrassment. Arthur put his head down on the table.

Certain that he'd captivated his audience at last, Eames smiled wildly and cleared his throat. "Now, I know this is a _very_ important day for some of us." He gestured to his two teammates, both of whom were trying to disappear from view. "In fact, I wasn't even sure this day would ever come. See, Arthur here isn't much of a lover. I honestly thought he was one of those asexual lads, all work and no fornication."

If looks would kill, Arthur would have been a murderer.

"But, aside from his obvious lack of imagination and originality, Arthur is a great man. Why, I remember the first time I'd met him- Artie, Cobb, and I go way back, you see. We've been working together as accountants for years."

Cobb let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding- even in his drunken state, Eames still knew how to keep important matters secret. But still… accountants?

"As I was saying, Arthur was still fresh out of college when I met him- around 23, maybe? How long has it been? Four years? Five? Six? I forget…" The forger downed the wine in Cobb's glass, then reached over to snatch Yusuf's, who was too busy laughing to care.

"Where was I? Oh yes- Arthur. We'd all been working late one night, and poor Cobb was just losing it. Couldn't take all the numbers anymore, see. Tantrums, hissy fits, the whole ordeal. And Cobb was starting to get _me_ riled up as well. But Arthur just gave us that degrading stare he's so good at- oh look, he's demonstrating!"

Arthur _was_ glaring at Eames as if he was a lowly imbecile.

"- and simply said, "Dom, get a grip, you old tosser!"… Well, that's not exactly what he said, of course; I might be paraphrasing just a tad. But no matter- my point is, that was the day I realized what a great, great man Arthur was. And now, at last, he's found someone who'll be able to put up with his greatness! Little Miss Ariadne…"

This was the moment Ariadne had been dreading; the moment when Eames finally got around to talking about her.

"Ari here came to the accounting agency around a year ago. Bright, charming, ever-so enthusiastic. After a couple of tough clients, however, her enthusiasm waned out a bit. But she'd had it long enough to attract a certain point- I MEAN, a certain…accountant. And so Arthur went to work; a couple of longing glances, a few stolen kisses. And, of course, once they'd started dating there was that whole pregnancy scare…oh wait," he hiccupped, catching Ariadne's glare. "I wasn't supposed to mention that, was I? Oh well… Anyways, I just wanted to say that I'm happy for the two of you, and may you live long, and stay in love, and have dozens and dozens of little tykes that I'll be made the godfather of…" Hiccupping once more, Eames raised up the glass of wine he'd take from the chemist. "To Arthur and Ariadne!" He crowed, finishing off his speech.

The guests who still had wine glasses raised them up, while Cobb and Yusuf, both goblet-less, settled for a hearty cheer. Ariadne, who had smiled in spite of herself, laughed, and even Arthur's stony stare seemed to be cracking.

Suddenly, a loud "BRRMMMM" echoed through the reception hall. Cobb looked at Arthur, who looked at Eames, who merely took one last swig of wine before reaching into his suit pocket and pulling out a small revolver. A smirk on his face, he pointed it at the point man and cocked the barrel.

"See you on the flip side, darling."

* * *

"You better have something ready for next week, because you are NOT going to be using that as your best man speech."

"Why not?" Eames whined, pulling of the wires hooking him up to the PASIV device. "I thought this one was better than the one I'd written two weeks ago! At least I didn't mention any of your body parts!"

"Eames!" Arthur exclaimed, exasperated. "It's my wedding day! I picked you as my best man for a reason. Don't ruin it for us!"

"I think what Arthur's trying to say is," Ariadne interrupted, grabbing her fiancé's hand in an attempt to calm him down. "Eames, can you _please_ find it in you to write a semi-serious speech for our wedding? It would mean the world to me and Arthur."

Eames smiled. "Why, of course, sweetheart. Thank you for asking nicely."

The architect grinned, then squeezed Arthur's hand gently.

"Thank you, Eames." Arthur groaned, before stalking off to his desk.

"Don't mind him," Cobb called from the lawn chair he was still sprawled on. "He just has pre-wedding jitters. Happens to everyone."

"I'm sure of it," Ariadne mused, walking over to him. She sat down in the empty seat next to her boss, and bit her lip. "Umm…Cobb?"

"Yeah?"

Ariadne twirled the end of her scarf between her fingers. "I was wondering if… you know… since my father's missing in action at the moment…you could maybe…?"

Cobb smiled, touched that she would come to him for such a huge request. "Of _course_ I'll walk you down the aisle, Ari…"

With a little squeal, Ariadne jumped up to give her adopted-father a hug. He was startled by the sudden impact, but soon returned the hug. He only let go once he heard Eames' impatient voice from across the room.

"Oi! Ari! Sweetheart, we've gotta go to the dresshop to finish up your dress! And you KNOW how crazy you 'bride-to-be's can get. Let's hurry up now, c'mon!"

Chuckling, Ariadne pulled away and ran toward him, stopping only to plant a loud kiss on Arthur's forehead. "Love you!"

"Love you too!" he called to her retreating form.

Cobb stood up and walked over to his colleague's desk. "This is a big step for you, marriage." He looked Arthur straight in the eye. "Are you sure you're ready for it?"

Arthur smiled and looked at the framed picture of his fiancé on his desk. "Cobb, I've been ready since the day I met her…"

The extractor smiled back and clapped his friend on the shoulder, knowing that, just as his and Mal's had been, Arthur and Ariadne's wedding would be a dream come true.

* * *

**Love you guys! Thanks for reading!**

**-MusicMakesMeWannaCRAZYDANCE**


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